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[Wendy]

Doorknobs and Breadsticks – My Family's Summer Trip Report

I'm late, I'm late...

In a leafy town in South-East Cornwall, Tuesday morning dawned peacefully and much like any other.  It was an unremarkable morning, slightly overcast but dry; a gentle breeze sent the boats in the harbour bobbing a little; in many homes, early morning risers ate their cornflakes in relative serenity. All was tranquil, unruffled, composed.  But in one end-terraced house, all was not calm, in fact it was anything but peaceful at number 59.  For here, there was a family of four who had overslept – how could this have happened? The alarm had been set, hadn't it? The smallest boy was always up before daylight so why not today?  Here, to any onlooker, the scene was one of utter chaos and frustration.  The parents argued as they threw last minute clothes, toiletries and electrical items into two overstuffed cases; both boys quarrelled over which Nintendo games and DVDs to take for the journey and everyone hurriedly scoffed an ad-hoc breakfast of cereal (with no milk) and toast (with no butter).  Not the best start to our magical family holiday!  

The Incredible Journey

Within half an hour of waking up, we were loaded into the car and on the road.  While we settled down for the long journey (first the 280 miles from Cornwall to the Channel tunnel in Kent, then the nearly 200 miles from Calais to Disneyland Resort Paris) we deliberated as to what we had forgotten in the manic rush to leave,  and who forgot to turn the radio alarm up so that we would not oversleep

Needless to say, the journey was a little fraught but once we reached our first scheduled stop for lunch, our family holiday spirit had been restored and we were amused to see that The Little Chef at Countess Services on the A303 had apparently been refurbished by Lego!



Once we had consumed our 'Olympic breakfasts' with extra pancakes, coffee, milkshakes and waffles, we resumed our journey.  The boys had opted to watch a marathon of Star Wars films on our back-seat DVD players so we continued our expedition to the 'vroom' of lightsabers and roar of Galactic battles – by the time we reached Marne-la-Vallée, a menace had been phantomed, the clones had attacked, Siths were revenged and seemed to develop new hope, only to be fought back by the Empire.

Thankfully, by the time we arrived at the Kyriad (where we were to spend our first night) the Jedi had returned, which seemed to make everything OK...

At last, we were ready for the magical week ahead – a week full of challenges and adventures.  Oh yes, we would have challenges - we are that kind of family:

1.   Find and photograph interesting doors and gates.
2.   Eat at restaurants that we had not previously tried.
3.   Photograph and/or get autographs from characters that we hadn't met before.
4.   Spot hidden Mickeys.


Day 2 - Into the Magic


We awoke in the Kyriad refreshed and ready to get stuck into the magic.

Checkout was fairly painless, although the receptionist did look seriously bewildered when we acknowledged and then reiterated that we hadn't chosen the breakfast option from the hotel, as we wanted to clear out early and eat at Annette's in the Disney Village, she was like a Satnav system in a little known country lane and you could see the word 'recalculating' churning away behind her bamboozled eyes.  However, she eventually allowed us to leave so we reloaded the cases into the car ready to check in to the Cheyenne later in the day.  

After relocating to the Cheyenne car park, and picking up our park tickets and half-board vouchers, we merrily ambled along the short distance to the Village.  

As usual the village with its eclectic mix of oversized Disney and gawdy, clownish, carnival aesthetics was a little unnerving but we soon settled in to the rhythm of things once we realised that the music blaring from the early morning speakers was one of our favourites... there's nothing like a little Phil Collins telling everybody "I'm on my way" to get the Disney party started!

Once at the diner Alex and I had the 'American breakfast' while little Ross opted for a hot-dog; hubby went for the full blow-out with a 'Rock and Roll Burger' and we all had Hippy-hippy shakes. Our waitress was pleasant enough and although the scrambled eggs were a little dry, the food was filling and fairly tasty.  We hoped this would be the first of many lovely meals.

So on with the challenges, firstly doors, now I know that it might seem odd but I wrote a trip report a couple of years ago where I went seat spotting and we all decided that this trip should have something similar, after contemplating everything from sugar sachets (which are all the same incidentally) to paving stones (which I'll save for another day) we decided upon doors, gates and entrances in general.  So here goes...

Through the keyhole

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Walt Disney.

As usual, the family took this challenge very seriously, and the soundtrack to our week seemed to be to the tune of "mum, mum, here's another door!"  This did become somewhat wearing when the same door was pointed out for the umpteenth time, but we found a good few attractive examples over the week,  here are my favourites:

This super gate in Fantasyland has a really sweet Cinderella theme – I love it.



is this gate at the top of the steps from the dragon's lair meant to keep the dragon out of the shop or the guests in with the dragon?


Yoh ho, Yoh ho, a Pirate's gate for me...



Liberty Arcade has a beautiful array of ornate doors, here is one example:

Fantasyland has a plethora of quirky doors...



Lovely stained glass effects just add to the ambiance, I love this attention to detail.



Even the rides have super doors and entrances, but you have to be quick with the camera to catch 'em!



Little tiny doors on the houses of the 'storybook ride'. Useful to keep out, lions and tigers and wolves? Oh my!





Not a door as such, but what an entrance!

[jackieann]

lovely start! looking forward to the rest!!

[Angel_Ariel]

I'm glad you got there in the end! Over-sleeping is my ultimate worry!! Great trip report & pic's so far! I am looking forward to seeing what else your trip had in store!

[DLP-Photos.com]

:lol: Wonderful way of making a start to the report - very poetic!

The start does sound a bit stressful, but I am very happy that you got there in the end and I like the idea of making a photo challenge for each other (I heard you mention it in another thread before my trip and I ended up taking photos of lamps during the trip, so thanks for the idea )

I am looking forward to the next updates

[Columbiad]

LOVE the thread title. You know know to rope in readers! Can't wait for the rest of the report.

[Minne&Mickey92]

loving this trip report so far cant wait for the rest , like the idea of setting a challenge will have to think of one ready for when we go in a few weeks

[Wendy]

Food glorious food...

Another of our challenges, well just a whim of mine really, was to use our half-board vouchers to savour a few of the nicer restaurants around the resort.  Usually we stick to the fast-food outlets but from past experience they have been mainly disappointing.  

Our initial experience of the finer cuisine on offer was at The Blue Lagoon.  At first I was a little apprehensive, as the menu was very, very different to the usual burger, chips and pizza that my kids are used to at Disney holidays.  But give them their due, they both went along with the game and Alex was particularly daring in his choices, he even commented that his dad (who is the head-chef in our kitchen) would have to "up his game" to make the cuisine so tasty!   Who ever heard of a 12 year old, asking to share some of his mother's vegetables?  The best was still to come however, we were dazzled by the 'fiery' Crème brûlée and amused by the three-way banana extravaganza.  Overall, an average score of 9/10 was received for our buccaneer banquet!



Our second mission into the culinary finery that Disney had on offer was to Walt's.  I had cunningly booked our meal to coincide with the Once Upon an Dream Parade and was hoping that we wouldn't be seated behind the large facade which was erected around the majority of the building to hide the ongoing refurbishment.  Luckily, we were seated in a room with three large windows overlooking Main Street, which I suspected would give an amazing view of the spectacle.  I also noticed that the restaurant was not full, which surprised me, more on that later... But first, the food...

Again the menu offered an impressive selection of choices, Ross particularly enjoyed his breadsticks and dip (although he did insist on sticking a breadstick in his drink and 'dunking' it).  Overall though, I have to say, we were a little disappointed with the food, an average score of 7/10 was all we could muster, it just didn't live up to the fabulous fare of the previous evening.   However, what was slightly more worrying was that there was no one else in the dining room which we occupying...  



Had we really been that noisy? Had the waiting staff deliberately separated us from their other diners?  I know that my husband and I get a tiny bit squiffy when drinking a couple of glasses of wine with dinner (or lunch... or breakfast for that matter!) and our two boys can be slightly shrill and Ross had been happily slurping his apple juice through a breadstick throughout the meal, but were our manners so beastly that we needed to be quarantined? Upon further investigation (under the guise of a bathroom break) I discovered that the restaurant was almost empty!  It didn't stop another family from squatting at one of our windows to watch the parade as they had been unfortunate enough to be seated in a windowless room.  Fortunately, they were fellow Brits and their children seemed as uncouth and noisy as mine.  So we had another glass of wine and settled down in undignified unity to watch...

We smugly observed the view of soaked spectators reluctantly running for cover as the rainclouds emptied overhead 'just five minutes' before the parade began; the procession was then postponed (just to make sure that the waiting crowds were completely drenched I think)  until finally the face of my five year old was aglow, "Mum, mum, it's coming... I can see a sun and a moon!"  For the next few minutes he was mesmerised by the parade and I was mesmerised by his delight - when we looked back to our table, all remnants of our feeding frenzy had been cleared away; it was time to leave, another challenge met.

Our three other dining experiences were at 'all you can eat' buffets.  First we decided to try Inventions at the Disneyland Hotel.  This was a real first for family Watkins as we had never even ventured inside the magical 'pink' hotel before, let alone been there with a legitimate (if somewhat expensive) reason.

As soon as we entered the lobby I knew that I was going to have to avoid the pink wine this lunchtime and muzzle the younguns.  The hotel is beautiful, magical and I really wish:  a) I was rich so that I could stay there without selling a kidney or mortgaging the cat, and b) I had a different family - mainly consisting of a rich, handsome husband (just because it would make a nice change) and some petite refined little girls instead of slightly coarse, uncivilised boys!  Then I would feel fully at ease in such a sophisticated foyer.  As it happened, we were met by Eeyore, Chip and Dale and Donald Duck, who seemed perfectly happy to be greeted with huge hugs and excitement, which broke the ice...  

We soon found the restaurant, on the second floor, and were introduced to the buffet, again we were shown to a separate room next to the buffet and the other diners (solitary confinement again? Perhaps they had heard us coming up in the lift!)  Anyway, after we had ordered our drinks – well just half a bottle of white, it would be rude not to, and a couple of apple juices – we began 'operation eat until you drop.' My husband and eldest son see the 'all you can eat' label as a challenge in itself so very soon there was a rather large dent in the buffet.  Again, it was enjoyable but nothing truly remarkable for the price tag.  I suppose you pay for the ambiance and setting and we did have a great view over The Magic Kingdom.  Perhaps it was the wine, or maybe the sheer amount of food consumed but we left the hotel feeling a little lethargic and again a score of 7/10 put our priciest meal (by far) in joint second place with Walts.

The following day was Sunday and that can really only mean one thing when it comes to food... Sunday Brunch at the Steakhouse. This is my husband's favourite meal. Every time our visit coincides with that sacred day he is compelled to eat at the Steakhouse (this could be something to do with the unlimited wine!)  We also love the fact that there are characters who spend plenty of time visiting each table, as well as a colourful lady who makes a variety of poodles, flowers, tigers and assorted weapons from balloons, for each child.  

As usual from the Steakhouse buffet, the food was scrummy, plenty of choice, plenty of dessert, plenty of wine.  Everyone tested the wide variety of salads and sea-foods on offer, as well as digging into the hot main course choices;  culminating in a feast of fancy desserts, sweets and even a cheese board.  Whilst returning to the hotel after our banquet, the biggest 'child' in our party decided to 'challenge' bemused passers-by to a duel, using the kid's inflatable swords (this could be something to do with the unlimited wine!) He continued to confront bewildered strangers all the way back to the hotel, where he promptly passed out... sorry, "took a nap."  Upon sobering-up, sorry waking-up, we were able to give the Steakhouse a 9/10 – joint first so far.



Our final buffet was at Restaurant des Stars.  We arrived without a booking, at around 12.30pm, however this did not seem to be a problem and we were ushered towards the cash registers.  Handing over our half-board coupons my youngest son was offered a large plastic straw featuring Reme, which he duly accepted.  We ordered our choice of drink and I was informed that I would have to pay an extra €3.50 for the straw!  This is the worst kind of sales technique as Ross had already opened the straw and it was hanging out of his mouth so I couldn't really say no to the purchase.  Quietly fuming, we were shown to our table.  The buffet was adequate, nothing special for €27 price tag.  A small selection of salads was on offer with a choice of hot main courses and a variety of sweets and miniature puddings.  Unfortunately, there was not a breadstick in sight, so it was lucky we had been conned into the rat straw!  The entertainment in this establishment featured surprisingly surly serving staff who conversed in angry French across the tables.  Their aim seemed to be to remove any plate from each diner as soon as the guest paused for breath; even if it still contained food, or the patron was mid-chew.   We took turns to interpret their theatrical gesticulations and conversations - although I cannot be sure, I think one of the more senior waitresses had not managed to flog her daily quota of rodent straws so she was being reprimanded by the maître d'.  

Occasionally, a jolly chap with a trolley would amble up to a table and introduce the 'little chef' from under a silver cloche.  Like the Pied Piper, he was accompanied by a small entourage of shrieking children who insisted on being in every photograph snapped, much to the disgust of my uncharacteristically obedient offspring, who took great pride in indignantly suggesting the "naughty children" should sit at their own tables and wait their turn.  This fell on deaf ears as the trolley-dolley in the tall, white hat, patiently fought his way through the feral mob to interact with each diner.  After dinner our family concurred that sadly our final bistro choice had been the worst, consequently we awarded a mark of just 4/10.



Despite this final slightly disappointing offering, the food at Disney had been quite delicious and we all managed to gain a few pounds in weight, so with another successful challenge completed we loosened our belt buckles and prepared for a final test - the pursuit of previously unmet characters...

To be concluded...

[gingajen]

WOW!   =D> I have thouroughly enjoyed reading your reports, they are hilarious! They also serve to put my mind at rest about my unruly offsrping. I actually hope and pray every time we go out for a meal that they put us into solitary comfinement. It makes the whole experience slightly less of a trauma  :oops:
I'm also grateful that you have included such detailed reviews of the 'eateries'. I have been tempted to book a meal with Remy, but I don't think I could stand hoards of kids traipsing through the restarant after the cart, especially when I would be telling my kids not to! The Steakhouse sounds great though, we arrive at about half one on a Sunday when we go, do you happen to know what time they serve until?
I can't wait for your next report!

[Angel_Ariel]

Fab trip report so far!  =D>  I actually laughed lots! Can't wait to read the rest!  /

[AislingM]

Loving your report I cant wait to read more. Is there much of a difference between the Buffets food wise? I know the settings are all very different, but does the price difference between Inventions and Restaurant des Stars reflect in what your actually eating?

[DisneyAlba]

Our second mission into the culinary finery that Disney had on offer was to Walt's.  I had cunningly booked our meal to coincide with the Once Upon an Dream Parade and was hoping that we wouldn't be seated behind the large facade which was erected around the majority of the building to hide the ongoing refurbishment.  Luckily, we were seated in a room with three large windows overlooking Main Street, which I suspected would give an amazing view of the spectacle.

Judging from your (absolutely great!) report, they have removed some tarp form the windows in the last month... Could you tell me which room it was you sat in, that had a good view of Main Street? Each room in Walt's is themed to a different land...

[kiki_304]

Fab report.  I am looking forward to the next instalment.

I was picturing your family running around like the McCallister's from home alone. lmao